Thanks-Living

“I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way–in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.” (1 Corinthians 1:4-5)

My friends, we shouldn’t need a specific holiday to remind us that we ought to be thankful…but it doesn’t hurt! Thankfulness should be second nature to a Christ-follower, and yet it is often easy to take the blessings, that we have been given, for granted. The challenge for us is to learn the discipline of simplicity. What is simplicity? It is the discipline of letting go of our hunger and craving for more “stuff”. It is letting go of our lusts for possessions, affluence, popularity, recognition and power. These things are called mammon. What is mammon? Webster’s dictionary even describes it with a biblical context: “material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing influence <you cannot serve God and mammon — Matthew 6:24“

Richard Foster explains this issue:

“We really must understand that the lust for affluence in contemporary society is psychotic. It is psychotic because it has completely lost touch with reality. We crave things we neither need nor enjoy. ‘We buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like.’ …It is time to awaken to the fact that conformity to a sick society is to be sick.” (Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth)

Stuff, in essence, can become our god. It can consume us, making us ungrateful and blind to the truth. We can become lost in our “stuff”. Possessions and things aren’t inherently bad but it depends on how we use them.

Richard Foster had more to say on this topic:

“Jesus Christ and all the writers of the New Testament call us to break free of mammon lust and live in joyous trust…They point us toward a way of living in which everything we have we receive as a gift, and everything we have is cared for by God, and everything we have is available to others when it is right and good. This reality frames the heart of Christian simplicity. It is the means of liberation and power to do what is right and to overcome the forces of fear and avarice.” (Richard J. Foster, Freedom of Simplicity: Finding Harmony in a Complex World)

The key to the discipline of simplicity is…well discipline. Do you really need that cell phone upgrade? Do you really need that new car? Separate your wants from your needs. Thanksgiving isn’t about getting more stuff to make you happy. It should be about appreciating what God has already given to us and utilizing these tools for His glory! That doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy life or become obligated to a boring existence. God created us to enjoy life and more importantly to enjoy His presence in life.

Are you experiencing life through thanksgiving? Do you have time in your day to just stop and say thank you to God for all of the awesome gifts and blessings He has given to you? Don’t wait for specific holidays to recognize your need for thanksgiving. Celebrate “Thanks-living” every day, because after all, each day is a gift from God!

“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks” – Saint Ambrose

Life is precious…use it wisely!

November 19, 2013 0

A “Knock-off” or the Real Deal?

A few years ago I purchased an electronic device that I thought was comparable to the electronic standard held by another brand. It was cheaper and I admit that this was my original motivation in purchasing the device. I thought I had made a good deal by going cheaper…but I was sorely wrong. It looked quite similar to the more expensive quite famous counterpart…but upon studying the “specs” which were the inner workings or the hardware, I discovered that though it looked the part it was just a cheap “knock-off” that barely performed the way that I expected it to. I was thoroughly disappointed and eventually I discarded my “knock-off” and spent a little more for the real deal.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Few sentences in all the world strike at our hearts like this sentence from 1 John. Mimicking Jesus’ own “new” commandment (John 13:34-35), John reminds us all that we are called to this holy purpose here on earth. Dare I say that this world is already full of hell and pain, hatred and heartache…how better to display the Light of Christ to a darkened world than to love. But John doesn’t merely remind us to love with our words and with how we speak to people around us. That would be far too easy and a shallow, cheapened “knock-off” of Christ-likeness.

Phony Christians:

No one likes cheap stuff if they can afford the real deal. If we had the resources to have the original in our hands, to own it and enjoy it, we would never settle for a cheap “knock-off” copy! The world knows a thing or two about phoniness. There are far too many people in our world today who have experienced deceit and cons of every kind. They can spot the phony Christian a mile away. The kind of “Christian” who only pretends to love but is just as absorbed in their own little world as a non-Christian person. The pretend Christian won’t fool anyone for too long, because when it comes time for the rubber to meet the road, for faith to be put into action, the phonies will scatter and disappear at the moment of greatest need. The world does not need any more phonies, let alone phony Christians who are just artificial, cheap “knock-offs” of the real deal.

Newly Minted Originals:

This is not meant to discourage you dear fellow Christ-follower, this is just a warning to both you and me. Without real tangible evidence of love bedded deep within our actions towards others, we run the risk of becoming just another cheap “Knock-off”. Don’t let your faith become jaded. Don’t allow skepticism and judgement to taint your walk with the Lord. There is a very real spiritual war going on; we know the final outcome, yet Satan and his minions would like nothing more than to dissuade you as a Christ-follower and discourage you in your faith so that you only resemble what you once were. Don’t be swayed but how others treat you. Don’t become discouraged when you feel as if you’re the only Christian left standing. We are newly minted originals if we allow Christ’s love to permeate our faith in action. It does nothing to simply say the right things or speak these solid truths unless it is backed up by our actions as well. Those who are still lost cannot simply to Christ by sweet words and kind thoughts…they need real hands to show them the way. They need real feet to walk beside them. They need a shoulder to cry on when life has stripped them of their pride and possessions. They need you and me to go to them and not to wait in our halls or churches for them to come to us (which will never happen).

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let your love be seen from your heart to your hands! Let your faith propel you into action. Be bold, take risks, and discard the temptation to become just another cheap “knock-off” for Christ.

November 11, 2013 1

Fidelity & Infidelity in the Christian world.

This is a very sensitive topic, I know.

I don’t know the effects of infidelity (thankfully) first hand, nor am I about to make a broad brush stroke and lump other marital issues such as physical or substance abuse in with unfaithfulness. Let me be clear, my primary purpose in writing on this topic is strictly to confront areas of sinful unfaithfulness within the sacred partnership of marriage within the “Christian Church”.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this ought not be. I do want to be sensitive with extemporaneous issues which might lead to such a betrayal, but in many cases Christians who are facing these types of issues in their marriage really need to consult professional marriage counseling before it gets worse.

If we can learn anything from the story of Hosea and his marriage to Gomer (which was a metaphor for the sacred yet broken Covenant relationship God had with His people) we should learn just how serious a partnership the marriage relationship was and still is today. After all, even the Apostle Paul wrote of the marriage relationship in Ephesians 5:22-33, and the main focal point in those verses center on resembling how Christ’s love is bestowed and poured out upon His bride the Church.

Husbands and wives, when you make that solemn commitment and say “I do” you are committing to that person FOR LIFE! This isn’t some kind of two year cell phone commitment, where, after two years, you can upgrade to a different model. This is why it is so crucial to get to know your “bride-to-be” or “groom-to-be” before you make that life long commitment! How heart wrenching it is to watch two committed Christians split up over some elicit affair or “moment of weakness”. Many psychologists have ascertained that a betrayal like this can be as devastating as a death in the family. (http://www.alfredadler.edu/sites/default/files/Livingston%20MP%202012.pdf)

One of the biggest public stories recently in Hollywood is of the elicit affair Kristen Stewart had with a married man, Rupert Sanders. Though this isn’t specifically a Christian story, the devastation that this had on both parties has ended in divorce and separation. How horrifying it must be to discover the one you have confided in and trusted your heart and life with has betrayed you. http://www.eonline.com/news/475712/liberty-ross-opens-up-about-husband-s-affair-with-kristen-stewart-it-was-really-the-worst

As Christian people, we are a living example of Christ to the world around us. I believe it hurts the heart of our Lord when marriages fall apart and unfaithfulness is at its center. Beware too…don’t ever think that you are not susceptible to such trappings of temptation! Steer clear of these moments of weakness. Don’t place yourself in compromising situations where you may be tempted! Keep your allegiance not only to God but also with your spouse and life-partner! Hebrews 13:4 Says; “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

Get Help!

If you and your spouse are facing issues in your marriage, don’t be afraid to seek professional help with a Christian marriage counselor! It is a sign of strength and not weakness that you do so. After all, if there is something worth protecting in this life it would have to be your marriage and family? So take the time, seek support and guidance and don’t put it on the back burner because life is “too busy” right now! Be proactive in your marriage and don’t wait for the bags to be packed and the sofa full of pillows and blankets!

Cherish!

Seek fidelity in your marriage, but go way beyond that! Cherish your spouse! Be attentive, supportive, communicative and loving! Be selfless in your attitude towards each other instead of selfish! Spend time with one another and perhaps plan dates away from the kids and the stresses of work! Invest in your relationship and don’t neglect it! If we are to be amazing representatives of Christ-like living in this world it ought to begin with cherishing and preserving our love for our spouses and family first.

Pray!

Make sure you pray for one another, both privately in your own personal devotions as well as together. Prayer is not only our source of communication with God but it unifies and solidifies our intentions as couples. Never stop praying for your relationship, and also pray that Christ’s love would be demonstrated in how you treat each other.

Just an important thought for all of my married brothers and sisters out there today!

I am certainly not a marriage counselor, but I recognize this very real danger in our Church today and feel I must constantly remind myself and you of how easy these temptations can turn into moments of full blown infidelity if we are not diligent and aware of their trappings.

Blessings on you and your spouse today!

November 1, 2013 0

To my Lord of the Harvest (Poem)

All my efforts, all my pains

nothing but the best for Thee

grant me Lord your loving heart

and others I might see.

Plant me in the fertile soil

so that these roots grow deep

be my gardener and my Lord

an abundant harvest to reap.

And in those days that will come

when drought and famine be

these lips and service, action take

to ever live for Thee.

-Amen.

October 15, 2013 0

“Brothers don’t shake hands…Brothers gotta hug!”

The title I have used today is a quote from one of my favorite Chris Farley movies: “Tommy Boy”. In it he discovers (falsely so) that he has a brother and so he is ecstatic to welcome him into the family. The film is a little crude at times, yet Chris Farley had a way of hamming it up for cameras which made him extremely funny.

Do you know what’s not funny in this world though? Brothers and sisters in Christ facing discouragement and frustrations alone in life. Why does this happen? Isn’t the Body of Christ supposed to uplift and encourage? Where are the helping hands at times to come along those who are suffering through various blights of discouragement?

Paul puts it rather plainly for the early church and for us still today when he says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

Why then, in times of despair, does it seem as if some are trudging through it alone?

Do you remember the story of the paralytic who wanted to be healed by Jesus? How did he get to Jesus? He certainly didn’t walk there. No, instead his friends took the time to care for him. They took the time to pick him up on his mat and take him to Jesus. In fact they had to go to great lengths to place their friend at the feet of Jesus. When they got to where Jesus was teaching they discovered that the house was full of people, there was absolutely no room for them to carry him in on his mat. So instead of calling it quits or abandoning their friend they instead devised a shrewd plan. The hefted him, laboriously up onto the owner’s roof and tore a hole in it so that they could lower him down to Jesus. (Mark 2:4) What friends! They took the time to encourage and lift (literally) their friend to Jesus.

What of us today? Do we take the time to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ? Or are we too preoccupied with our own worries and our own busy schedules? These friends who lowered their paralyzed colleague down through a roof could have called it quits once they found the house to be too full of people. They could have shrugged their shoulders and said, “well we tried” and carried him back home with no change in his living situation…yet they didn’t. They took time out of their busy schedules. They went the extra mile. They weren’t interested in what they could get out of the situation. It wasn’t about them, it was about their friend, their brother on the mat who couldn’t move.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, there is sometimes a danger of becoming too comfortable in our lives that we lose focus on others around us. Others who could use some encouragement. Others who need to hear a word of love and kindness from their peers. We can’t afford to be little isolated islands or clusters of Church goers who never engage and connect with other parts of the body of Christ!

The poet John Donne once wrote:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend’s
Or of thine own were:
Any man’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

Today, there are fellow Christ-followers who need your support. Today there are brothers and sisters in Christ who are about to give up because they feel all alone with no one to support them. Today is another shining opportunity to be a brother or a sister to the discouraged and distraught. You can be a source of encouragement. You don’t need to be a professional counselor or a degreed Psychologist to help, you just need to be present and available.

Are you willing? Are you available? Ask the Lord for guidance and discernment and then get involved in the lives of other believers which will extend far beyond the pew on Sundays. Give them a hug, love on them and then allow God’s fellowship of love to penetrate your hearts so that self isn’t number one but Christ is first and others are even before our own wants and needs.

-Just a thought for today.

“and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith...” 1 Thessalonians 3:2

September 27, 2013 0

“Doing the will of God”

Jesus got up from the table. Isn’t that unusual for Master of ceremonies to do? He got up. He had been reclined, as they did in those days. There wasn’t a wooden table and chairs as we’re so traditionally used to. He had been enjoying a meal with His disciples. There had been some banter back and forth, some laughter over a good cooked meal. Isn’t that how bonds, throughout time, have been further deepened? Over a meal, together, they bonded, they shared, they loved. Then Jesus got up. What was He about to do? The room was slightly stuffy, and getting warmer. There was a humidity in the air which matched the body heat of those gathered there. As each disciple had eaten their share of the food and had drunken a share of the wine, Jesus did not rest. He didn’t find the nearest lazy boy chair to recline in. He didn’t make his disciples go and do the dishes. He didn’t rest. Instead, He got up and after wrapping a towel around His waist, He filled a basin full of water. The disciples were caught off guard. Some were still chewing the last bits of food and draining their cups of the last drops of wine. Glances were exchanged, expressions of bewilderment and surprise replaced the revelry of celebration.

Having wrapped the towel around His waist and poured the water into the basin, Jesus begins to display for His disciples what a true discipleship looks like: a servant of all. Kneeling down before them, Jesus places himself beneath their dirty, filthy, smelly feet and washes them. He becomes a servant before them. He takes on the very job of a household servant. The son of God stooping down to wiping the dirt from the feet of His people. Is there any better description or account of doing the will of God? The actual Messiah, Jesus kneeling down and cleansing those who needed cleansing the most? Such moments like this had to have left deep impressions upon His followers. Having the One who had been present at the beginning of creation wiping away dirt from their feeble human forms, what a lesson to learn! Master becoming servant. Jesus coming down to their level and preparing them for leadership and for eternity.

This is Discipleship:

In Jewish custom, a disciple was to do as the Rabbi did. A disciple went beyond just ‘doing’ what the Rabbi did though, the purpose of a disciple was to become the Rabbi. Literally taking on his mannerisms, his theological interpretations, his actions…everything to become just like the Rabbi. Jesus knelt at their feet and washed them. Jesus displayed for his disciples what they were to become to the world around them…servants of God, serving others. Jesus even told them this when He said; “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28)

Discipleship is doing the will of God, not just as a part-time worker, but a full time servant. Many will commit to part-time work as a servant, but few, when faced with choices of comfort and personal gain will accept that full-time role. Yet isn’t that what Christ-followers are called to do? To be full-time disciples in our lives? Full-time disciples of Christ doesn’t mean we give up our professional vocations and don on ropes of white and live off of the land. God can and will use you as His disciples right where you are at. Sometimes He asks us to move and to switch vocations, but many times He can and will use you if you are available for His purposes. True discipleship though looks very much that Jesus with towel wrapped around His waist washing feet. True discipleship may take on roles we feel are beneath us, not befitting one from our status…yet Jesus knelt down and washed the disciples feet, are you prepared to do so as well to those around you? Are you prepared to be a full-time disciple?

William Law once wrote; “The devout, therefore, are people who do not live to their own will, or in the way and spirit of the world, but only to the will of God. Such people consider God in everything, serve God in everything, and make every aspect of their lives holy by doing everything in the name of God and in a way that conforms to God’s glory.” (William Law, A serious call to a devout and holy life)

Do you view your life in this way? Is everything God’s? Are you doing the will of God because you are His humble servant? This is the cost of discipleship, but it’s not drudgery or done with groaning but instead because of love we cannot help but to serve the One who has set us free. Are you prepared to wrap that towel around your waist? Are you prepared to kneel down before those around you and to wash their feet? God doesn’t need any more part-time workers, He wants full-time servants who are committed to do His will.

September 17, 2013 3

At the moment of resignation and surrender (Poem)

I want to grasp your hand dear Lord

But my grip is oh so weak

An ebbing strength of childlike hands

dulled senses, calloused and poor.

Yet as fingertips extend to where

They have never touched the heavens

All blood escapes as gravity closes in for a closer look

Kissing the heart strings as I strain

But Lord how feeble I must seem

All the while you, in all your glory

Indescribable in your majesty and might.

Even though I reach and strain

Gritting teeth and labored breath

I am no closer to you than when I started…

It is in a moment of complete resignation

Shoulders slumped, eye lids shut

Bitterness on the tongue pushed back

Swallowed and helplessness in my heart…

It is in this moment of complete and utter

Abandon of self-worth and personal gain

That I feel something.

That I feel a touch.

That I feel a warmth, like never before

As blazing fingertips extend and grasp onto mine

As I pull back in surprise for but a moment

As I recognize that I am in your very presence

Totally lost, powerless and surrendered…

You hold my hands in yours, I can feel your power

I can feel your strength as if it beckons me to

Believe.

Looking up, hesitant, penitent

I find love.

I find joy.

I find peace.

All of my labored aching ceases

I am whole.

I am found.

I am Yours.

September 6, 2013 0

Catching A Glimpse of God

We were sitting in the car, another long drive up and down the mountainside. Where were we? On vacation in Yellowstone National Park. Looking out of our windows which were slightly to moderately marred by finger smudges, forehead grease and happy meal stickers, we became enthralled with the landscape around us.

Everywhere we turned, our eyes fell upon sights that are difficult to describe, yet magnificent to behold. In the back seats our older boys who had been previously engaged with electronic devices in hand now found themselves on the edges of their seats soaking in the landscape as it traveled past our rear bumper like a people-mover at an airport. We found ourselves a midst trees and rock and mountain located inside the heart of an underground, still active volcano. Wild life teemed all around us as if undisturbed by our passing presence there. Ravens, nearly the size of adult predatory hawks stalked the picnic areas looking at us with its cimmerian eyes black as night and cawing with its haunting and foreboding calls as if to say ‘pay your price, pay your price and feed us!‘

Our journey there, coated in mystery, brought on its coat tails the afternoon rains and fog. They swept swiftly in lathering the vistas with a deep apprehensiveness with wild abandon. Mesmerized, we carted off the beaten paths, viewed the very hand prints of God as pots of steaming rock burnt its undeniable offerings to the heavens.

How could one not believe in a place like this? To find solace as we kiss the faith of the One who created such a wonderment? As God, in all the wrapped mystery and awe spoke such foundations of rock and earth into being…it is no wonder we found our jaws on the floor or in the seats of our van? Is it no wonder that we lost track of minutes, even hours as we soaked in His presence like nourishment to the soul?

There was this strumming in our hearts as if we had come close to the very doors of eternity, catching mere glimpses of God through His marvelous works, drawn out and craft over thousands, even millions of years. Yet the strumming hasn’t ceased…it still continues now as I write these words. I pray it continues in the throbbing valves of my children’s hearts until they see the very face of God as well. For born out of this solitary journey we touched His hands and kissed His feet. We brought the expensive perfumes and anointed Him head and feet knowing just moments in His presence was more than we deserved…and yet He called us His own. Yet we found Him and His heart. We were caught so blindly unaware of His passionate love for us. Blown away we staggered back, brought up short by His grace and mercy as love showered down upon we, the undeserved. In those moments on that mountain, in the heart of an active underground volcano we found God…and we are defiantly reticent to return to the way we once were.

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

-Gerald Manly Hopkins “God’s Grandeur”.

September 3, 2013 1

We all find ourselves in high anxiety our trouble…we ought to find the strength and courage to cast it all on our Lord who can help us through it all!

July 25, 2013 0

We all find ourselves in high anxiety our trouble…we ought to find the strength and courage to cast it all on our Lord who can help us through it all!

July 25, 2013 0

Tag: love